Every family has traditions of some sort. Big or little, yearly or daily, traditions can be a very important part of our lives. And I believe they should be. The family traditions I've known have given me something to look forward to, and great memories often come from them.
When I was growing up, my family took a week in the summer to go to a cabin on a small late in the middle of nowhere in the Adirondacks. This was (and still is) one of the most anticipated of our traditions, and by far my favorite. Included in the yearly family gathering was my maternal great-grandparents, my maternal grandparents, their 4 children and subsequent grandchildren, occasionally my maternal great aunt and uncle, and their 2 children. There was, on average, 20 people who occupied the 5 bedroom, rustic cabin.
At this cabin, there is no running water, no electricity, no phone, no TV, no internet, barely any cell phone service. A generator runs the lights in the evening. We use an outhouse. We bathe in the lake. We swim, play cards and board games, read books, take hikes, look for frogs and salamanders and take the rowboat out for fun. For one whole week. I can remember explaining this to my friends in high school, and getting very excited while talking about it, and they all looked at me like I had 6 heads. "You're going WHERE, with no TV or phone, for HOW LONG? And you LIKE this???" Yes, as a matter of fact, I love it!
For as long as I can remember, that one week, in the middle of July or August, was the first time and sometimes the only time of the year that all the family was together. Every so often, I would bring a friend with me. One brave soul, courageous enough to trust that I wasn't crazy, and try their hand at roughing it in a cabin in the middle of the woods. The friends who were lucky enough to share this tradition with me, loved it. And once they experienced it, they understood my excitement and passion for this one week.
My kids are crazy about Camp Week, too. They tell explicitly detailed stories about things we've done at camp, and how fun it is, and how crazy my family is. And they look forward to it every year. I am so thankful and happy that I have been able to share this tradition with them. It was such an important part of my life, and I'm thrilled that it will be an important part of their lives, too.
Recently, I had the opportunity to share in a family tradition of a friend. It's a tradition similar to my camp experience... in that his family gathers at a camp. That's one of the only similarities. His family's camp is more like a real house, it has running water, a TV and electricity. And the lake that it's on is much bigger than my lake, with lots of other family camps. His family activities include riding the jet ski and motorboat, tubing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. Not that one camp experience is better than the other, they are just a little different. I had a marvelous time meeting some of his family members and doing all of the aforementioned activities, some of which I had never done before. I've heard many stories revolving around this camp and his family's experiences there. I was honored to be invited, and to get a first-hand glimpse into that aspect of his life which has meant so much to him.
I hope to share my camp tradition with him, as well. He is an important person in my life, and being such, I feel that he is entitled to get a glimpse into the aspects of my life which have meant a lot to me over the years. Traditions are special, but so are the people who participate in them. One could do the same thing again and again, but if it's not done with people who are special to them, then the tradition is a bust. There's no point. Traditions are meant to be shared with those we love. Whether it's a week at a family cabin, or watching a movie at home on Friday night with the kids, traditions become more memorable when we do them with people who are special to us.
I hope that my kids will remember many of my little family traditions - like making Santa Snickerdoodles on Christmas eve, choosing what to eat for dinner on their birthday, or getting stars for doing chores - as well as the big traditions, like our family camp week. I hope to create more memorable family traditions as the years go on, and to improve upon the ones we already have. These are the things not easily forgotten, and most loved.
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